Need help selecting step up

04-30-2013, 06:26 PM

Looking for a step up for my Spitfire. Got it too much volume but will keep it for small/mushy waves. Been eyeballing the Hellfire, Unibrow, and Jacknife. They don't have demos for the size I want (610) so hoping for feed back from anyone who has tried all. Looking for most user friendly all rounder that can handle multiple conditions. I love carving and throwing the tail off the top.

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I reckon there's a bit of design lineage in a number of boards. It started with the Dom which spawned the Spit. So in my mind there are a group of boards well aligned with a Dom (such as the Unibrow and Alternator) and others well aligned with the Spit (such as the Hellfire and Hellrazor). So the Spit morphed into the Hellfire for better waves, and the Hellfire morphed into the Hellrazor for better waves again.

So in your case if you love the Spit I reckon the Hellfire and Hellrazor would be the first places you'd look to for that next step up. It then becomes a question of how much of a step up do you want or need? The Hellfire has received amazing reports and by all accounts will rock up to around the 2x overhead mark. The Hellrazor is ridden by some top pros as their HPSB so it must be doing something right (Toledo and Reyes come to mind). This board would presumably have you covered up to 3x overhead.

If it was me and I had a two board quiver with one being the Spitfire I'd personally make the other the Hellrazor as it would offer the greatest range. I used to do somethng similar when my Firewire quiver was a Dom and Alternator.

Incidentally I surf the Unibrow (see below) and love it. It's a super versatile, performance board for small to medium waves. It isn't the board I'd personally pick though to match a Spit.

I have a spit and HF in my quiver and they surf very similarly just the wave range in which they excel separates them. In steeper better waves the HF takes over from the spit. I haven't surfed my Hellrazor(s) yet but the word is as Buzzy describes it. Watching videos of guys surfing them they seem to move like the spit and HF too.

The Jacknife surfs differently but it is still a nice board to surf and covers small to medium (2x overhead) waves and probably a bit bigger too. It has nice refined rails and carves very nicely and has a nice sensitive feel. For a while it was my next board after the spit once the waves were thigh high or above.

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Thanks for the replys, you guys rock. Yeh Slowman, my gut tells me to go with the HF. Seen em in person and looks like an awesome board and a good next step. The UB just looks awesome but I think I'll have to narrow it down to HF or HR. I have not seen a HR in person. Are the rails more refined than the HF? How do they handle flat sections, mushy waves, or small stuff? In case I only take one board. The JK is a funky looking board but reminds me of my last fish which was a lot of fun. Where can I catch video of HR surfing? Also, Buzzy I see you also ride a Q-5. Is that a all rounder or for good waves only? I just wish I could win the Lottery so I could have every FW board!

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I also had a Helfire and loved this board as it is the natural progression to the spit.
But as a step up are you talking more Hpsb or a board for heaving barrels. I change out my HF for a Mini driver and prefer this board. I like the wider front end with the pulled in round tail.
I find its easer to paddle and catch waves over the HF too.
The vol is less than the same size HF which is better for me.

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Looking for a step up, don't really surf heaving barrels much. Did your HF handle steep barrels well? I was looking at the MD but not enough volume for me (bigger guy). Have you heard how does MD compare to UB?

Another question, if I were to get a HF in the same size as my SF (610) I'd be dropping about 8 liters volume. Would I be able to switch between the two if I use SF as groveler and HF for good surf?

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Hi Mark not heard any md UB comparisons yet. I found the HF was really good in steep hollow waves but just find the Md easer and more stable a speed. My HF was wider and had 2 ltrs + on the Md which in powerful surf made it a touch corkie.
A drop of 8 ltr, s seams a lot to me. But is your Sf over volumed do you think?.

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SF is def over volumed but has been a good transition from a longboard. Says the balance point is the same on board compare. I assume that relates to your stance on the boards???? How does that rounded tail alt compare to your HF? Saw a used one for a good price but wasn't sure if I wanted to go straight hpsb yet.

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I really like my alt and is a another good step up two board quiver option. The Alt is an easy board to get on with its a thruster with very good manners. I loved my HF but with the porformance hy type there is always a compromise.
Quad versus thruster what fins do I run a nubster ect. Extra with in the tai with so on.
I over sized my alt as my big wave board a CBD at 601x 19x 2 1/4 would have been perfect. But the board paddles easily catches waves easer than the HF did and because of the narrower tail is easer to manover into critical sections. I would check it out as your second board. Even look at the CBD option.

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The Q5 is a really good board and covers a big range. If I surfed more it would be a great board for every day conditions and up. Indeed, even with how much I do surf it seems to work pretty well. Because I have the UB I tend to surf that in everyday conditions but the Q5 probably would do it fine if I tried. The Q5 is quite similar in a thruster set up to the Alt.

The Alt is another board worth considering - it rocks. My advice though remains to look within the Spitfire/Hellfire/Hellrazor family because of their lineage and similarity.

The other thing with the Q5 by the way is it's a special order. So that can mean a 12 week wait - that's how long mine took. I was happy in the end I waited rather than getting another board, but this might influence you to choose a board in the current range which you can get more quickly.

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Thanks gents for all the feedback. I think I'm feeling the HF the most but I do want to see a HR in person. And I'm really hoping to at least demo a UB before I drop the $
I have to ask though buzzy, would the Q5 be worth the wait? Can it grovel/surf anything kind of board? I really like the shape, at least on the web site......

Thanks

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If you're a strong surfer the Q5 could easily be a one board quiver. I mean by that a person who competes at say club board riders and is in, say, the top 2/3rds of results. If you're not at that level then I reckon a board with a touch more grovel (such as the UB or Hellfire) would make a better every day board.

As a step up from the Spit though the Q5 would be in a similar ball park to the Alt or Hellrazor. The first two I know from personal experience are great boards, and I'm sure the HZ is too.

If the Q5 really captures your eye and you're prepared to wait, go for it. It does surf a lot like the Alt though. The reason I chose a Q5 over the Alt is I could just get it in a volume closest to my
Optimum. If I could have got a standard order Alt at 6'6" at 37.3
litres I would have ordered that. Both great boards though.

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Buzzy, thanks for the advice and I'm feeling what you're saying about going from spit to hell but I'm still a bit hung up on the UB. And since you've ridden both I have to ask, if you could only have one board and had to choose between HF and UB which would it be and why? Also, which of the two paddles/catches waves better? I typically surf crowded waves so any advantage I can get I'd be stoked.